Chasing Stardust
by MindBottled
Summary: When Bowser steals the Star Rod he sets off a chain of events that not only plague Star Haven, but Star Road as well. What happens when Peach finds herself in the middle of all this chaos? Possible Geno/Peach pairing in later chapters.
1. Questions

**Questions**

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

Mario and related characters belong to Nintendo, while Geno belongs to Square Enix.

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As she gazed into the endless abyss of space from the balcony of her uprooted castle, Peach silently pondered a question that had been plaguing her since she met Twink.

_I wonder if he's okay..._

She was awakened from her daze when the small star child whizzed by her, sparkling with anticipation.

"Peach, Peach, guess what!"

_What?_

"What is it Twink?" Peach lightly laughed, smiling at the star's antics.

"Mario's almost here! I checked up on him like you said, and he's at the Crystal

Palace! I bet he'll be here in no time!" The young star burst out, grinning from ear

to ear.

_Oh._

"That's marvelous Twink." Peach replied as she turned around, clasping her hands on the balcony's banister.

"Princess, is everything alright? I thought you would be happy..." Twink's voice was full of concern, as he began to flicker with sadness.

Peach turned to face him, closing her eyes as she spoke. "Everything's fine Twink, I just was thinking about something."

_About him..._

The small star sparked up, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Maybe I can help!"

"Maybe..." Peach whispered, her heart racing.

She walked away from the chilly abyss to the comfort of her own room. The familiar scent of facial powder invaded her senses as the fire crackled softly, casting a warm glow on the soft surroundings. Peach sat on the edge of her fluffy pink bed, gathering her resolve before speaking to Twink.

"Twink, do you know of a star by the name of Geno by chance?"

Twink thought about this momentarily, concentration etched into his face.

"No, I don't think so... but then again there's a lot of stars I don't know. After all, I just became a full fledged star before the incident."

"I didn't think you would. After all, it's been so long."

_Still..._

"Is there a reason I should know him Princess?"

"No... no. He's just an old friend."

_An old friend that everyone seems to have forgotten..._

Rumbling footsteps broke the calm, and a look of fear spread across the young star's face.

"Run, don't worry about me, I'll be fine!" Peach whispered, panic etched across each word.

Twink simply nodded as Peach turned to watch him fly away, leaving only a trail of stardust behind him.

_Like him..._

Peach grimaced at the sound of her door being flung open, announcing Bowser's presence.

"Bwahahaha! Looks like Mario never'll give up, eh Princess? Even if he does manage to make it to my castle, with the Star Rod he'll fall to my might!" Bowser guffawed, exceptionally pleased with himself.

"Mario will defeat you Bowser, just like he always does!" Peach exclaimed, defiance brightly shining in her eyes.

"Is that a matter of fact? Seems like a few years ago he was part of the Koopa Troop." Bowser shot back, a smirk playing across his features.

"That's a lie and you know it Bowser."

"I wouldn't be so sure Princess. But enough with the chit-chat, I have business to attend to." And with that, Bowser left Peach to her own thoughts.

_Mario never joined the Koopa Troop, Bowser just didn't want to look weak._

Peach allowed herself to fall back onto the bed, losing herself in it's softness as her thoughts become muddled. Her eyelids drooped until they finally closed, as she let sleep warmly embrace her.

* * *

**Authors Note:** Hi, hi! This would be my first fanfiction ever. I was inspired one day after playing Paper Mario. I hope it turns out to be okay!


	2. Dreaming

**Dreaming**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

Mario and related characters belong to Nintendo, while Geno belongs to Square Enix.

* * *

_Falling..._

_That's all she was doing..._

_Falling..._

_Peach finally felt her body collide with the ground, the impact being softer than she imagined._

_When she finally opened her eyes, she was greeted by stars dancing along the edge of her vision._

_It seemed as though they were swimming in the moonlight, a twilight she could not find the words to express._

_But something, something strange was happening..._

_The milky twilight seemed to blur faster, as the stars began to lose their shimmer._

_Strange wails began to fill the thickening air, as the star's light extinguished all together before they fell from the heavens._

_Peach stifled a gasp, as she took a step backwards in fear only to find herself falling again._

_The piercing shrieks grew louder as Peach began to lose herself in the swirling void._

_Everything felt so hopeless, she felt so alone..._

_Then everything abruptly stopped._

_For a moment, she was terrified to open her eyes fearing what might be happen._

_Gathering her strength, she opened her cerulean eyes staring directly into a pair of amber ones._

_She gazed around for a moment at her surroundings._

_Compared to the ethereal paradise that once surrounded her, everything seemed bleak._

_Everything was encased in darkness, only illuminated by a soft, eerie glow._

_"Princess, I'm afraid things are far more grave than you have been led to believe." Geno spoke softly, drawing back her attention._

_"What do you mean Geno? What could be worse than Bowser having the Star Rod?" Peach replied, looking softly at Geno._

_"It's hard to explain really, but Star Road is in danger. Even if the Star Rod is returned, it cannot undo the destruction caused by it's theft."_

_"How can that be? The star spirits said..."_

_At this, Geno let out a dry chuckle._

_"The star spirits don't know everything princess. Rifts have been caused in Star Road, threatening the guardian star spirits. Without us, I'm afraid that Star Haven will cease to exist, along with Star Road."_

_"What! But that means no one's wishes will ever be granted again!!" Peach exclaimed, her voice laced with shock._

_"Not just that, but the world we know will cease to exist. Everything depends on..." Geno began, but his image soon became blurred._

As the walls of the castle began to tremble, as Peach groggily opened her eyes.

_What a bizarre dream..._

She gave off a soft sigh as she stood up, in order to greet her upcoming 'visitor'.

Almost as if clockwork, she heard her door slam open once more as Bowser waltzed in.

_My poor wall, it's going to be a giant hole at this rate..._

"Aww, did I wake you up Princess?"

"What do you want Bowser?" Peach snapped, thoroughly irritated.

"Oh, touchy! Well, it looks like your lover-boy managed to get all the Star Spirits. Mario never can make things easy for us can he?"

"What us Bowser? There is a you and there is a me, but there certainly is no us." Peach shot back, turning away from the Koopa King.

"Aww, now why do you hafta play it the hard way Princess? I was going to see if you would be nice and play hostage for me, but since you're not... GUARDS!! Capture the Princess at once!" Bowser roared as he snapped his fingers, guards instantly appearing and tying the princess up.

"Let me gooooooo!!" Peach screamed, as the guards dragged her into the depths of her palace.


	3. Snap

**Snap!!!**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**Authors Note: **Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I hit a bit of writer's block. :/

* * *

Peach struggled, a last-ditch effort to release herself from the ropes that suspended her in mid-air.

The rope remained unyielding, as Peach let out an irritated huff.

_I wish Mario would hurry up._

Peach immediately felt guilty.

It wasn't Mario's fault it took so long to rescue her. In fact, she should be grateful that he was even rescuing her at all.

_Still..._

"I hate waiting."

With a defeated sigh, the princess looked out from beyond her bonds to the broken terrace.

The stars twinkled brightly, enthralling the princess.

Peach felt a shiver run down her spine as she recalled the frightening dream.

It was hard to believe that something so beautiful could turn into something so frightening.

Even now, the high pitched wails resonated throughout her mind as the streaming lights danced along her vision, just out of her reach.

"I think the princess is in here Mario!" a voice exclaimed, completely foreign to the princess.

"Mario!" Peach cried out, her eyes glittering with happiness as her denim clad savior rushed down the halls toward her.

_My hero!_

Almost as if on que, as Mario drew in to the home stretch towards the princess, Bowser rushed in with his sinisterly smiling helicopter, waving the Star Rod smugly.

"Did you think I'd make it that easy Mario?" Bowser sneered, as he leaped down from his vehicle, the castle quaking from the sheer force of the impact.

_Wasn't it enough you destroyed my walls Bowser? Now you have it out for my floors too..._

Mario remained silent as he hunched over in a battle stance, sending a defiant look towards Bowser.

The two glared daggers at each other for a moment, as if sizing up their competition, before lunging at each other.

Their attacks were short lived, as the castle took a frightening lurch to the side, tossing it's inhabitants about as if they were nothing more than dolls.

Due to the sudden shift, the star rod was sent flying as Bowser and Mario desperately clung to the walls while Peach dangled from the strained rope.

_Is the rope... is it slackening?!_

A load snapped shot through the chaos like a bullet, as Mario and Bowser looked on helplessly as Peach plummeted into the abyss, leaving only a resounding scream throughout the halls of her upturned palace.

_Oh noooooo!!!_


	4. Falling

**Falling**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing! All Mario and related characters belong to Nintendo, while Geno belongs to both Square Enix and Nintendo.

Enjoy!

* * *

Everything felt as though it were in slow motion as Peach fell through the starry heavens.

The wind whipped her hair across her skin, each strand causing more pain than the last, as her skirts billowed about in a frenzied manner

Every time she tried to open her eyes to even catch a glimpse of her surroundings, she immediately shut them with fear.

The only things surrounding her were stars, not safety.

Not land, not her home, not even Bowser or Mario.

_Mario…_

_Are you safe? _

The princess clenched her eyes shut even harder in an attempt to stop the oncoming tears.

_It's all my fault you got caught up in this Mario. I took you for granted, if only for a moment, and now I may never even get to see you again._

Peach tried to choke back a sob of anguish, but to no avail. The tears spilled out with all of her heartache and fear, and she desperately wished she was anywhere but here.

But nothing she could do, nothing anyone could do, would be of any help to her now. This was how it was going to end, everything was going to be consumed by this… this…

_Darkness._

And as if on cue, Peach screamed. Her cries were for Mario, for help, or anything else that crossed her mind in her fear-stricken panic.

She stopped only once she could no longer hear the shrill croak of her worn out voice.

But after a few moments the silence grew to be too much to bear once again, and she longed to hear something, even if it was just her frail voice.

Before she could even attempt to shriek out again, her body collided with rough terrain.

_Land..?_

Her entire being ached from the impact, and she barely even had the strength to crack open her eyes.

Her vision was completely out of focus since her head still reeling from the rough impact and her eyes were unaccustomed to the harsh light of her surroundings.

_Wait a moment… light?_

She blinked and as her vision finally came into perspective, she truly wished it hadn't.

Completely surrounding her were ebony fireballs, emitting a strange purple glare. Each let off a hiss and crackled almost violently as they drew in close to her, flaring up to spectacular heights.

Peach tried to lift herself up off of the ground, instinct trying to outweigh exhaustion, but she could barely even move her arm.

She was too tired to move, too tired to cry, and almost too tired to even care if she lived or not. Almost.

_I guess this is my final chapter._

A dry chuckle escaped from her lips as she felt the heat from the flames tickle against her skin before she was engulfed in darkness.

If she had retained consciousness a moment longer, she may have heard a voice break the silence.

"GENO BEAM!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry I haven't updated in ages. I really lost interest and focus in my story, but now I'm back! Hopefully.


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